A Short Note on the 2 Types of Yoga

There are two types of Yoga – political and spiritual. The second form is not taught in India today; only the first. You have a better chance of spotting the second abroad.

How do you recognize Political Yoga? It’s quite simple, actually. Listen to the teacher or his attendants. They drift from talking about asanas and pranayama to talking about “us”. And then come “they”. We are superior, they are inferior. And then, of course, they begin to talk about Bharat, i.e., India, right in the Yoga class.

The moment you hear that word, you know it’s political. Bharat, i.e., India, is not a body part or the name of an asana. Nor is it mentioned in Patanjali’s Yoga sutras.

Of course, what I’m saying here applies to spiritual discourse of all types, in general. Heads of Mathas can’t see the lakshmana rekhe when they cross it and begin talking about politics.